Profiling fashion innovators

Abstract

As fashion innovators are the chief buyers of fashion at the introductory stage, they have significant influence on the product at the later stages. Building on this, this study attempts to achieve four main objectives. First, it provides a demographic profile of fashion innovators. Second, it identifies the differences in self‐concepts between innovators and non‐innovators. Third, it attempts to discover if innovators are impulse purchasers. Finally, it investigates if fashion innovators will purchase impulsively online from Internet stores. The results show that innovators were found to have a unique self‐image. They are more excitable, indulgent, contemporary, liberal and colourful. Compared to the results in Goldsmith et al.'s study, only two of the characteristics were found to be identical (contemporary and colourful). The differences in other self‐ascribed characteristics are excitable and indulgent (this study) and comfortable, pleasant and vain. The results also seem to suggest that innovativeness is related to marital status. Fashion innovators generally exhibit impulsive behaviour. They might be able to expand their scope of fashion knowledge through the Internet, not just merely through fashion magazines. However, the findings of this study showed that there is no difference between fashion innovators and non‐innovators in Internet purchase. Despite this finding, the Internet can still be used as an advertising tool to appeal to the innovators.